1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to leg and foot rests or cushions.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
Persons who must remain seated for many hours because of their occupation or mode of transportation, usually need to rest their feet on a comfortable supporting surface. In particular, most commercial airline passengers typically are not provided any comfortable support for their lower legs and feet due to the seating configuration and the narrow space encountered between seat rows. Even where a foot rest structure is provided in certain limited seating, such structure may not extend far enough to accommodate a full extension of a tall person""s legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,003 (Apr. 12, 1994) discloses a collapsible footrest for supporting and massaging the soles of an aircraft passenger""s feet. The footrest includes an inflatable chamber made of a flexible material, and a foldable frame placed internally of the chamber for added strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,445 describes an inflatable foot cushion for reducing force amplifications upon the foot when a person""s body is in a supine position. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,489 which discloses a cushion for resting a person""s legs high.
There remains a need for a foot and leg rest that addresses the needs of airline travelers and others who require comfortable as well as therapeutic support for their feet and lower legs, regardless of their height. There is also a need for a portable foot and leg rest that can be carried conveniently by a person such as by folding and stowing in a carry-on bag, requires no assembly, and, when deployed, provides comfortable lower leg support even in limited space environments such as between rows of airline passenger seats.
According to the invention, a portable leg and foot rest includes a main body portion of flexible sheet material constructed and arranged to form, when inflated, (a) a major rest surface, (b) a bottom surface, (c) a pair of side walls that extend between the rest surface and the bottom surface, and (d) a rear wall that extends between the rest surface and the bottom surface. A first portion of the rest surface slopes downward from the rear wall to define a first surface for supporting a person""s calves and heels. A second portion of the rest surface contiguous to the first portion, rises upward from the first portion to define a second surface for supporting soles of the person""s feet.
An adjustment mechanism is joined to the bottom surface of the main body portion near the rear wall. The adjustment mechanism is constructed and arranged to set an angle of inclination of the major rest surface with respect to a floor on which the foot rest is placed.
For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.